Actions Speak Louder than Words

My last post included a brief history of some words pertaining to disability. I gave the earlier periods some credit where due because they did not choose to insult people with words, they were merely looking for something to describe what they were seeing and discovering. I also express my dismay, at the fact that in some histories the word had progressed from something simple to something complicated and derogatory.

Today while going to, and while at the mall, I witnessed some behaviors that spoke louder than any history of a word. The first instance was when I was on the bus. First I had dropped my phone, and somebody was kind enough to let me know  that I had dropped it and picked it up for me. So I assumed it would be a good day. However, as soon as the bus reached the stop, the very same person that seemed eager to help me pick up a phone was eager to get out first. The bus driver had lowered the ramp in an attempt to get me off the bus first; and in spite of this every passenger pushed out before he even had the chance to unbuckle me, even with the ramp down as a clear indication of his intent. The bus driver apologized to me, and I said not to worry because it happened more frequently than he knew.

Just when the day appeared  to be redeeming itself; with polite New York Fries cooks, and excellent service at Cole's bookstore, it went sour once more. As I was weaving my way through the food court to try and find a table, I could see children staring, and parents catching them and pulling them away, telling them that it wasn't polite to stare. I even saw boyfriends pulling their girlfriends away and pointing, when they saw that I was coming in their general direction. I understand that when they do this, they are only trying to stay out of the way, but the pointing suddenly makes it so obvious that I am the only moving metal object in the room.

As for the children, I do not mind when they stare because I know they are just noticing the difference. If anything I wish that with the stare came a question, because I know children are curious and only seek to understand what they are seeing, much like the early societies within the English language. The parents could learn something from their children, as the children have a curiosity and genuine interest that their parents seem to lack. I am unsure of what adults think of when they look at me, and whether they believe any of the definitions of the words that I have defined in my last post, but one thing is for sure, their actions seem to indicate that some definitions are deep-rooted, and Are not going away anytime soon.

As much as I am bothered by encounters like this, as frequent as they seem sometimes, I realized that in spite of all of these different definitions and perceptions of disability, I am greater than each and everyone of them. Yes, I may have the legs of a cripple, but without proper use of them I have still been carried through four years of university, ridden a skidoo and the motorcycle, and much more. Yes, some people have slower of brain function than the average person, but I've seen many of those fee for that fit that definition, and still found that they have the same needs as the average person, and only a different way of communicating. There is nothing more rewarding than figuring out the way a person communicates, because then you realize that no matter how they function, they still have a valuable thing to say. Sometimes in this blog, it may seem like I'm getting really frustrated with society, and while l some cases that may be true, the only reason I share these things, is so that I can educate my friends and family, and others I care about. I only want to educate, and shed some light on my perspective, so that your actions too can speak louder than all the old and outdated definitions in the dictionary.

Karli